March 14, 1946 - June 29, 2008
The Lord is my Shepherd.
We regret to announce the passing of Christian Hirsch of Watch Lake, after a gallant struggle against ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Christian was born in Gardelegen, Germany and passed away at his home, the Red Willow Ranch, at Watch Lake, on the 40th anniversary of his marriage to his wife, Elke. Christian grew up in postwar Germany, during the Allied Occupation, and it was because of his contact with American servicemen that he developed a life-long appreciation of all things western. He had a vivid memory of a black American serviceman giving him a ride in an army jeep. He dreamed of becoming a cowboy. He first met his future wife, Elke, while they were both attending Sunday school, but it was not until they were studying in Berlin years later that they fell in love. The couple were married on June 29, 1968. Christian became a pharmacist and the couple moved to Neustadt, Germany where they lived until immigrating to England in 1989. There he worked in the pharmacy in a hospital in Bournemouth. In 1997, while on a holiday at the Flying U Guest Ranch, the pair fell in love with the Cariboo and decided to immigrate to Canada. It was always his dream to operate a business where he could serve the public, and with that goal in mind they purchased The Red Willow Ranch at Watch Lake in the spring of 1998 and began to operate it as a guest ranch. They also opened their home to the Cariboo Presbyterian House Church Ministry, hosting services every Sunday evening. Christian is survived by his wife Elke of Watch Lake, his son Sebastian (Ruth) Hirsch Mathies of Hamburg, Germany; his daughters, Susanne Hirsch of Dublin Ireland; Ulrike (Greg) Sherratt of Watch Lake; his brother Mathias (Marga); his sister Anna Elizabeth Hartman of Germany and three grandchildren: Ivo, Clara-Maria and Enno. A memorial service was held in the Community Chapel at Lac La Hache on July 9, 2008 with Rev. Charles McNeil officiating. Funeral services will be conducted at St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, 100 Mile House on July 28, at 2:00 p.m. Rev. David Webber and Reverend Charles McNeil will officiate. Interment will be in the 100 Mile House Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Christian’s memory may be sent to : ALS Society of B.C., 208-1600 West 6th Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1R3. The family wishes to thank Dr. Nanton of 100 Mile House
and the ALS Society Team of Vancouver for their help and support during Christian’s illness.